When you cross into Austria from Bratislava, immediately beyond the Slovak-Austrian border you will find yourself amidst a vast wind farm. Austria is the largest producer of electricity from wind in central Europe, operating turbines with a total installed capacity of 3500 megawatts (MW).
By comparison, Slovakia’s wind power plants can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Their entire generating capacity is barely a thousandth of those in Austria.
This could change in the near future. Plans developed by the EU and the Slovak government count on a rapid increase in the production of electricity from wind power. There are also investors who want to pour tens of millions of euros into new turbines.
1. Why does Slovakia have so few wind farms?